bejeweled

This is one of my favorite outfits I've worn in a long time - it's not particularly fancy or anything, but I love the preppy meets masculine meets girly look. I've always struggled to describe "my style" because I don't think I really fall under one category, but it's usually under those headings. Pulled together but not stuffy, masculine styles with girly undertones. 

I love that the J.Crew tank basically is also described that way and that's what makes it one of my favorite shirts in my closet. Here are a few of the ways I've worn it on the blog, and since mine is no longer available, there are four options below (budget friendly too since they are all on sale!)

Sweater: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Blouse: J.Crew [more below]

Pants: The Limited [similar]

Shoes: Target [exact on sale]

Earrings: eBay [exact]

Bag: Coach [save | splurge]

Watch: Boccia

one || two* || three || four

* see it on Kristina here - now I just need the sweater!

the biggest cliche of all

Happy official second day of fall! This is my favorite week of the whole year - it was my birthday on Sunday (so much celebrating was done while I was in the library all day), the weather is starting to cool down, and all of the TV shows are coming back! I tend to always be a few weeks behind, but then if I get a few free hours, I get to binge watch Modern Family in one full swoop. That, and Grey's, Scandal, and The Mindy Project :)

And going along with fall, FALL CLOTHES. I recently ordered this sweater dress from Old Navy because 1. it reminds me so much of a Madewell dress and 2. it looks so comfy. I ordered it during a recent 30% sale as a "try-on filler" while I ordered this coat, and it turns out I love the dress and unfortunately don't love the coat on me. I'll do a more thorough review on Friday during my budget post but the current 25% off sale ends today in case anyone had their eye on it and wanted to grab it for a steal. (the reviews say it runs a bit short, so I ordered it in a tall, and it hits me right at the knee). If you're looking for anything else to fill your basket, I would suggest this buffalo plaid button up - perfect for those cooler days coming our way!

Blazer: Banana Republic [exact]

Blouse: J.Crew 

Pants: The Limited [similar]

Shoes: Target [exact]

Watch: Bocci 

Ring: DIY [tutorial here]

Bag: Kate Spade [save || splurge]

meow

I'm not really a cat person. Not because I don't want to be, but because I'm really allergic to them.

Good news - the cats on my shirt are not real. Cats for everyone! Officially a cat lady now. Maybe I'll get the dress too....

Shirt: Gap  [exact]
Sweater: NY&Co. [similar on sale at J.Crew]
Jeans: American Eagle  [exact]
Necklace: from Germany
Belt: Target
Purse: Coach*  [current version]
Shoes: Tory Burch  [exact]
Watch: Boccia
Rings: Galisfly - win a set here!
Nails: Essie Chinchilly

*I really like the Coach Legacy collection for its classic style and rich leather but a ~$300 bag is not something I need/can afford right now. Of all the types of handbags, the crossbodies are my favorite so I wanted to add a neutral leather version to my more inexpensive collection.

Jean from Extra Petite recently posted about the vintage Coach market - many of the current Legacy collection bags are based off the originals. Getting a current Legacy style but as an original is something I hadn't thought of. I started searching and bidding on eBay - I wasn't willing to spend more than $50 though so I lost out on quite a few. I received a tip to also search Etsy and that's where I found this bag. She's in great condition - she just needs a little bit of TLC and then she'll be good as new. I'm really happy with this purchase!

wasted

No, I am not drunk in these pictures as the title may suggest. About 2 hours after I took these pictures, I started to feel really really sick at work. I was having hot flashes and shaking and felt sick to my stomach, so I went home and laid in bed all day in hopes that puppy cuddles would cure me. I do feel a lot better now, but putting clothes on for 3 hours is such a waste of an outfit!

Blazer: LC Lauren Conrad  {save | splurge}
Tee: Banana Republic
Jeans: Joe's Jeans  {similar}
Scarf: Victoria's Secret
Pin: DIY by my mom
Shoes: Tory Burch  {similar}
Watch: Boccia
Nails: Essie Lapiz of Luxury & No Place Like Chrome

On Friday it was snowing pretty hard during the time I would normally take pictures, so an instagram selfie was used to document my oh so interesting and innovative outfit. I can't cheat on TOPIO! Here are all of the ladies partaking in Sarah's challenge.





Linking up with Style Elixir

taxed

Are you guys sick of me talking about school starting in 5 months? Me either...

But...with school starting and only working for another 4.5 months, I am really working on tucking money away. I'm putting my entire work bonus, a certain percentage of each paycheck, and the money I make from this blog into savings. I am also putting all but $250 of my tax return into savings. With those $250 I was planning on purchasing a few items from "the list". Last Friday I ordered this blazer as it was a color I was looking for, I wear my blue version all the time, and I knew what size I thought I needed. Well I received it today and it just didn't work - it was a little too tight in the shoulders and it felt too short. I think the 2% spandex in my blue version makes enough of a difference in fit that it just wasn't worth the money to keep.

So while I was returning the blazer, the sales associate convinced me I needed to look at the sale section (it took a bunch of convincing...). Another one of my items on my list is a pencil skirt. They had a lot of the black #2 pencil skirts on sale, so I tried a few on. I tried on my normal skirt/pants size, but it didn't even close. I went up one size, and it still didn't look right. Several ladies said that they sometimes have to size up two sizes. I think that's important to remember - it's not about the number on the tag but how it fits. I walked away without a skirt even though the price was good because the size they had in store wasn't going to work. I don't think I'm ready to put a bunch of money down on something I can't wear right now anyway.

What I can wear right now and in the future is this cute striped shirt, so it did come home with me :)

Shirt: Gap*

Blouse: J. Crew Factory {save | exact}

Jeans: Gap  {similar}

Scarf: c/o The Posh'mina

Boots: Steve Madden  {save | splurge}

Watch: Boccia

*I found this shirt hiding in my closet this weekend. I'm certain the last time I wore this shirt was in this picture, taken at a house party my sophomore year of college. so classy.

Linking up with wiww and Bri's Third Thursday Threads (POLKA DOTS!)

20ish days in, and no one has realized that I'm re-wearing something every day. Either I'm really good at TOPIO (not as likely) or people at work aren't paying attention (most likely).

black blazed

A black blazer is something I've wanted in my closet for a really long time, but never really made an effort to look for because I knew finding something that fits me exactly how I want it to wasn't going to be that easy, especially with a limited budget. I got really lucky during a Saturday color tag sale at Goodwill where I got this blazer for $4. The sizing is strange since my other favorite blazer is a 10 Tall, whereas this blazer is a 12 Petite but somehow it works since it fits my shoulders well. The only down side is that the arms are too short which isn't really a problem for me since I insist that all my sleeves be pushed/cuffed up - I hate full length sleeves. It is a bit more casual but I think it'll serve my closet well for now. I'll still be on the look out for a more formal black blazer but I'll probably wait to buy that as part of a suit - something I don't really need at this moment.

Blazer: Thrifted  {save | splurge}
Tee: Gap
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact on sale}
Scarf: H&M  {similar}
Belt: Gap
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Watch: Boccia
Earrings: Tiffany & Co. {exact}

Linking up with wiww

tickled pink

I think that impending sickness I complained about implied was coming decided it wasn't going to mess around with me, and left to bother someone else. So to celebrate, I wore all of my favorite things today: polka dots, a bright scarf, a pretty ring won in a giveaway, and cute flats. 

I would like to thank my immune system for showing those germs who is boss, my boyfriend for making me food all weekend while I sulked about the "sickness" and my dogs for giving me snuggles whenever I asked for them.

I think from now on I'm going to fake sickness whenever I don't want to make dinner. Seems to work like a charm! ;)

Shirt: J.Crew Factory  {exact}
Scarf: c/o The Posh'mina  {exact}**
Jeans: Urban Outfitters  {exact}
Belt: Target
Flats: Marc by Marc Jacobs  {exact}
Watch: Boccia
Bracelet: Express
Ring: via The Demure Muse
Nails: Essie Ballet Slippers



**There's 2 days left to enter to win one of these bad boys. Enter here!

via Instagram.







linking up with wiww.

black & white & striped all over

This month's Marionberry Style "Challenge" is stripes...which is why I put that in quotes because with my collection of striped shirts, it wasn't really a challenge. When I was trying to figure out which shirt to wear, I realized I haven't actually worn my sequin striped shirt to work. Back when Whitney and I did our 4-ways-to-wear-this-shirt challenge (mine here, hers here), she layered a collared shirt underneath it. I thought it looked so great on her that I wanted to try it too. 

The shirt I used for layering used to have sleeves - until I hulked out in it during a time I was doing 60 pushups a work out session (which no longer happens, because my body structure does not need more bulk in the arms). I was wearing it mostly as a layering shirt at that point anyway, so I just cut off the sleeves where the rips had started. It actually makes it easier to wear now since I don't have to worry about rolling sleeves and adding even more bulk. 

Also, my nails have been bare for the last 2 days and it's driving me nuts. I hate the feeling of bare nails, but I just ran out of my favorite top coat (Seche Vite...go buy it immediately) and I'm doing some physician shadowing on Friday so no crazy nails for me. But trust, come Saturday my nails WILL have color on them.

Shirt: Loft  {similar}

Under-shirt: Francesca's  {similar}

Trousers: Gap

Watch: Boccia

Bracelet: DIY

Bag: Kate Spade  {similar}

Tassel on Purse: DIY by my mom

Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}

Please go check out how everyone else wore their stripes today - and then wish Marion luck as she's due to give birth any day now!
















also linking up with wiww.

along the lines of franish

Another day, another polka dotted shirt. I recently bought this shirt for $8 during the after Christmas sale at Banana Republic while we were in Alabama. I really liked it on Jenni a few months ago, but never actually saw one in our local store. After taking a look at what my closet has a lot of and what it needs, I realized that I don't really own a lot of hot weather clothes - no t-shirts that aren't sports t-shirts so adding a polka dot tee made sense (so I tell myself).

And after seeing Audrey's recap of the way she wore hers, I have 5 new outfit ideas for it!

Bloggers: the reason I pretend I know how to dress myself.

Cardigan: Banana Republic Outlet  {similar}
Tee: Banana Republic  {similar}
Scarf: Target  {on sale in stores}
Jeans: Urban Outfitters  {exact}
Watch: Boccia
Earrings: Tiffany & Co.  {exact}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}

When we were on vacation last week, my sister Viktoria and I drove up to Birmingham to meet up with Whitney from Along the Lines of Style. Whit was one of my first blogging friend and we've grown close over the last 6 months of blogging. Since we had never actual met, we were both about actually nervous about meeting face to face ( I said that must be what meeting someone from online dating must feel like). Turns out I had nothing to worry about - Whitney is as sweet, pretty and funny as she is on her blog (and if you want to see what she wore, read here!). I'm so thankful that at a time where many of my "real life" girlfriends have moved away that I'm making new ones...even if they are spread out all over the country and I only know them through pictures and emails.

Holes in my Closet: Black Cardigan

I've been going through and reorganizing my closet lately, and it has led me to evaluate what clothes I wear a lot, and which ones I don't. I wear cardigans and blazers all the time, so I also noticed what I'm lacking in those areas. I've been meaning to get a black cardigan for a while, but most that I find are too short on me. I stopped by at Old Navy this weekend to see if I could find a certain dress, and found this cardigan instead. With a 30% off coupon, it only cost me $13. It's not an investment piece in price, but it is something my closet was lacking.

In a few days for this month's Budgeting Bloggers I'll talk about a few other holes in my closet I'm hoping to fill in the coming months.

Cardigan: Old Navy  {exact}
T-Shirt: Gap
Scarf: DIY
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact}
Belt: Old Navy
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Nails: Revlon Grey Suede
Watch: Boccia
Ring: hand-me-down from my mom

Have you noticed any holes in your closets? Is  there anything you've been looking for recently?












Congrats to Rosy for winning the Tube Bracelet Giveaway! Thank you to everyone that entered!